Alanya, Turkey 2013 - My Euro Dream Odyssey

El Director

interested wrote: »

But I bet you were glad you went up there right ?
Next time I go up on the cross bike you can come along, but its only worth it if its a white out

I was A great experience in fairness. I just might take you up on that offer

El Director

Tues 26th Mar

Bike

So after a WU and some high cadence and build work it was into 40@90%FTP, last week it was 30@90%FTP.

40@90%: Dist 24.5km; Speed 36.8; Power Ave/NP 261/262; HR 149; Cad 93;

I really like these sessions...I can just feel my FTP creeping up watt by watt

Time 1:05; Dist 35.6km; Speed 32.9kph; Power Ave/NP 228/240;

Weds 27th Mar

Gym

Some tretching and rolling followed but core strength exercises.

Swim

Pool was in 25m format again. Once the WU, drills and descend/fast 50's (51, 49, 48, 46, 45, 44)were done then into 5x200 alt sw/p steady on 4:

1) 3:23sw (1:41/100)
2) 3:33p (1:46/100)
3) 3:27sw (1:44/100)
4) 3:31p (1:45/100)
5) 3:29sw (1:44/100)

The body is feeling a little tired TBH and these were a bit slower than they should have been but the effort was there. This is the week before a recovery week so thats expected. Has not helped that I have been to bed late the last two nights so will ensure an early bed time tonight!

Time 1hr; Dist 2,500m; Pace 1:44/100

El Director

Weds 28th Mar

Run Easy with steady and mod stuff

A chilly chilly evening but I really like these sessions. I am a faster stuff lover as opposed to an endurance and long distance junkie as I am sure most realise by now. So after 20 easy I had 15 steady and 5 mod:

Steady: Time 15min; Dist 3.72km; Pace 4:01/km; HR 163;
Mod: Time 5min; Dist 1.27km; Pace 3:56/km; HR 172;

Enjoyable.

Time 45min; Dist 10.56km; Pace 4:16/km; Hr 156;

Thurs 29th Mar

Bike

This was a really nice session for the legs, felt great after

Time 1:16; Dist 36km; Speed 28.7kph; Power Ave/NP 194/196; HR 126; Cad 91rpm;

Fri 30th Mar

Strength

An hour or so of core work, stretching and rolling.

Swim

Pool yet again in 25m format. So my main set was 12x100 sw/P/B+B on 2 easy/steady/mod

1) 100sw - 1:43
2) 100P - 1:42
3) 100B+B - 1:43
4) 100sw 1:47
5) 100P 1:42
6) 100B+B 1:43
7) 100sw 1:48
8) 100P 1:42
9) 100B+B 1:43
10) 100sw 1:48
11) 100P 1:44
12) 100B+B 1:43

I was delighted that my B+B mod was the time more or less as my pull steady, body position must not be too bad. I used the old smaller and less dense buoy for the B+B work

Time 1hr; Dist 2,600m; Pace 1:46/100;

Run Easy

Damn, forgot to throw in the build work. This was a lovely evening run and runnning is coming along very nicely, indeed I have to pull it back as I was feeling good and pushed it a bit too much at times.

Time 45min; Dist 10.3km; Pace 4:23/km; HR 150;

El Director

****RAMBLING ALERT****

It really does feel like 2 steps forward and one back this year thus far. After rattling off 3 good weeks and just agreeing with my coach that I am now ready to do the type of sessions that will see me really improve - another set back.

A week off, the weather turns around and I am house bound, scik again. Very frustrating and stressful as I had so much to do this week including moving house. I tried yesterday to do some work as I was feeling better but I ended up crashing on the couch....felt like I was hit by a bus. Obviously not better. No option but to rest up now completely and deal with work, moving/life sh1t next week as well as training. Last week I got something sorted that had been worring me a lot over the last few months so that is a massive positive, this week will pass, I will get better.....it is just frustrating.

Last Sat I did a good long bike with 3x20@90% into a strong headwind followed by a run off. Then a night out-first of 2013. sunday 80min LER and a sh1t load of choc and bad foods and Monday was a day off and loads of more bad foods! sick by Tuesday and nothing done this week.

Looking for positives I will say this. Consistency has returned, the only thing getting in the way is the illnesses. Taking a bigger picture look I feel I am and have only shown 60% or so of my potential. I mean, I have no doubt that if I put down 8 good weeks of training with good diet then I'd be back knocking on the door of top 10 NS results. My mind and heart are willing for more but the body is just letting me down at the moment.

So what do I do? I could do nothing about it but enough of that. I have to look for patterns and sequences and figure this out. I mean what else is there? Stop trying? Give up? It's just not an option. So to start I visited the doc's yesterday-bloods taken and sent for analysis. I am going back on my clean diet and I have ordered some multi vits and also some anti bac hand gels.

the A races this year are Mullaghmore and Kilkee and although I will not be at my full potential there with the illnesses and curtailed training I can still turn up at both races in very good shape and all I can do is get to both races in the best shape I can given the circumstances.

So this log has dragged on long enough.....Alanya will not be happening. (1) It is too expensive (2) I would not get an AG podium. I have already taken part in two ETU AG Champs and I recommend it to anyone but I wanted a medal. I hope someday to revisit this goal, it is attainable but you have to be realistic.
I was just going to kill this and go quite but this is a good place to get my thoughts down on paper as it were....even if it is a bit of a nonsensical ramble

Once I am feeling better i will start a new log....next week I hope.

Before I move on I just wanted to address my OP.

El Director wrote: »

5 Year Plan

Year 1 Olympic/Sprint
Year 2 Olympic/Sprint
Year 3 HIM
Year 4 HIM
Year 5 IM

I am on Year 2 right now and the above plan is still the plan


Goals

I guess my goals are simple. Try to prepare as best I can, be committed and consistent, for my A races. Then try to execute the race plan as best as I can and have a feeling after the race that I couldn't have pushed or tried harder.

I like the above goal Think I will stick with it for 2013

Objectives

Swim

400m TT sub 6:10 (6:34 set last June) Did 6:18 last week, surely sub 6:10 should be on and in fairness, if I am a serious triathlete then sub 6.
1,000m TT sub 17 Bad objective. Never was in the plans to do a 1,000TT and never did one.

Bike

20k TT sub 29min Did this at a club TT last May
40k TT sub 61min Bad objective. Did not get to do a 40k TT

Run

Run a sub 17:30 5k by years end (currently 18:14) Failed. due to illness and injury last year I never even got to attempt it. My feeling is that had I done a flat 5k fresh last June I would have came very close to it.
Let 4:20/km be my easy pace by years end (currently 4:30-4:40/km) Got pretty close to this actually.

Limiters

After last season I identified 2 limiters:

Weight and Diet

I was too heavy and big for what I wanted to do.....This I did improve and I now feel I know how to do this safely.

Consistency - Improved but for the last few months it has been on and off mainly because of illness



For those who think I am a dreamer (which I am ) - I still am I am determined to reach my potential, I don't want regrets. This keeps me motivated.

Okay bye old log....looking forward to a fresh start next week

catweazle

I always wonder are you too thin and thats why you are getting sick - when I first saw you down in a predator duathlon a few years back you were pretty muscular. Every time I see you these days you are thinner and thinner, I wonder is the body rebelling and wanting you to get back to the old shape

El Director

catweazle wrote: »

I always wonder are you too thin and thats why you are getting sick - when I first saw you down in a predator duathlon a few years back you were pretty muscular. Every time I see you these days you are thinner and thinner, I wonder is the body rebelling and wanting you to get back to the old shape

Well I'm certainly not getting thinner and thinner as I keep a close eye on the weight. For the last year or so I have gone between 74.5kg and 81kg, usually 76-78kg with 74.5kg only ever reached last year for a few weeks and that is when I raced at my best. I really don't think that losing that usless upper body muscle would mean me getting sick more...but hey....who knows. It could be anything really!

Working with about 1,000 teens.....
Awful weather lately.....
Poor diet/binge poor dieting......
Poor hand hygine.....
............

I will figure it out though thats for sure.

Bambaata

El Director wrote: »

Last Sat I did a good long bike with 3x20@90% into a strong headwind followed by a run off. Then a night out-first of 2013. sunday 80min LER and a sh1t load of choc and bad foods and Monday was a day off and loads of more bad foods! sick by Tuesday and nothing done this week.

Was the Saturday night out a heavy one? You might not have recovered all that well and coupled with bad diet etc you might have been prone to just picking something up. Just one suggestion anyway. Hopefully you can get to the bottom of it but you might be over analysing and missing the obvious but without more info its hard to say. Get well soon and hopefully see you next weekend ;-)

I just know from personal experiences that if i train hard, party hard i get infections. I have two coldsores this week as a result of a "good" weekend last week. While i might not be fully sick it is a sign of a depleted immune system. Stress can cause them too but i can completely rule that out as ive had a very stress free 10 days or so now

Dory Dory

Hey ElD! Regarding diet - I've been on a "clean" diet since January 1st and I have to tell you I haven't felt better/stronger in years. I'm off all crap (no chcocolate, sweets, chips, junk - due to my challenge with shotgun) and besides a few moments when someone is eating a decadent looking piece of chocolate cake in front of me, I really haven't missed it. In fact, I may not go back to eating crap after the challenge is over (which isn't until DMC in October). I've lost 6 pounds in the process as well (114 to 108) and I'm hoping it will translate well in 10 days in Boston - however, it sounds like weight is not your problem, just empty calories. My point is - garbage in, garbage out regarding food. Your diet could be one of the biggest tools at your disposal to get your mojo and health back in check. Best to you. And keep dreaming - you'll reach your potential.

El Director

@Bambatta @DD I agree with you both. I set up the perfect conditions at the weekend for an infection of some sort. I am totally flattened by it right now. My diet is pretty good 80% of the time but it is now time to make that 99% of the time, it no longer can be a part time thing.

I have been guilty of emotionally eating I know, last weekend it was good emotions that made me go a little mad. I know what it is to eat healthy and I know the healthy foods so now I just have to do it.

Fear

Fear - not necessarily a bad thing. I do fear that I won't reach my potential but fear in the past has motivated me and it will again I know.

Belief

Belief - The day that I don't it is the day that i will find something else to do I still do and I may not have all the answers (never trust the man that does ) but I keep searching.

So really going to clean things up now, first I have to get myself better and this one is certainly going to take a little while to recover.

interested

"Belief - The day that I don't it is the day that i will find something else to do I still do and I may not have all the answers (never trust the man that does ) but I keep searching."

or woman just in case DD is reading - but Im not sure she's real - I mean ... no chocolate ...hard to believe right

Im definitely not in any position to offer anything other than the cliché 'your health is your wealth' .... sleep, good food, balance between the things that are important in life and sensible intensity and volume in your training MAY be the ideal way to go .... but who the hell knows right ?

As per JB's log, chapeau to your honesty ... I'd imagine many that many that read might think this but I reckoned I'd just go ahead and say it

El Director

interested wrote: »

Im definitely not in any position to offer anything other than the cliché 'your health is your wealth' .... sleep, good food, balance between the things that are important in life and sensible intensity and volume in your training MAY be the ideal way to go .... but who the hell knows right ?

As per JB's log, chapeau to your honesty ... I'd imagine many that many that read might think this but I reckoned I'd just go ahead and say it

Thanks Interested. Very well said. The training volume and intensity has been grand, only averaging 10hrs a week and there hasn't been much intensity yet. the other factors though definitely need looking at. Balance and consistency are what I seek and the rest will take care of itself I suspect

El Director

My brand, new log here

Thanks for following and commenting guys. Onwards and upwards.